1 of 2 suspects in Harrison County rape case due in court

HARRISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — One of two young men charged in the rape of a 12-year-old girl at gunpoint in Harrison County is scheduled to appear Monday in court.

Hezekiah Hockensmith says he is not guilty in the case, but police charged him with complicity to rape and sodomy.

Authorities say Hockensmith and Jonathan Carpenter picked up a 12-year-old girl at her grandparents’ home, then drove her to another home where Carpenter allegedly sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.

Investigators said that upon learning that the girl had been reported missing, the men dropped her off at an area gas station.

A former co-worker and friend of the men said he was stunned by the allegations.

“I feel deeply sorry for her mom and what she’s going through and that little girl and the trauma she is going through,” the woman said. “I could not imagine what she is going through and she will have to deal with that for the rest of her life.”

Carpenter’s case was referred to a grand jury.

Hockensmith is set to appear in Harrison County District Court on Monday for a preliminary hearing.